Injected
by Project Shadow
Summary: ShadAmy. Injected with a strange substance, Shadow has to escape and get back to his mate. But how can he accomplish this when he is not himself?


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Shadow the Hedgehog, Amy Rose or and Sonic Team/Sega related characters.

**A/N: **This was originally written back in 2010. I just finished it the other evening. Enjoy!

-x-

Injected.

He had been injected with something, a _something _that his body immediately started to react to and reject. He felt sick to his stomach, his bones felt like they were going to shatter - but the worst thing of all was that he was chained down, with many faces peering in at his defenceless, prone form. Why were they doing this to him?! Hadn't he kept out of trouble since he helped rid the world of Black Doom? He couldn't LET them do this. He had a mate he needed to get home too. He didn't remember getting caught in the first place. An agonising jolt shot him from his thoughts as he felt his body begin to react to whatever mixture they had pumped into him, his muscles contracted causing them to painfully cramp and the chains that kept him rooted to the spot seemed to tighten around his ankles. _What the hell are they doing to me?!_ Another horrible feeling in his muzzle made his eyes close tightly.

"Fuck..." he managed to growl out through gritted teeth.

Then something within him snapped.

A snarl escaped through his aching jaws as he felt his dental structure begin to shift, the discomfort making his fur stand on end. Folding his ears back, he tried to keep any other sounds in - he didn't want to give these _humans_ the satisfaction of voicing his agony from their sadistic torture. Sneering, he fell forwards onto his hands as he felt his bones twist, contort and lengthen - along with the horrible twinge that shot up his entire form as his fur began to change, it felt like it was all being brushed the wrong way to which it had naturally grown. Clenching his hands into fists, the dark male cracked open one crimson eye to survey his surroundings as best he could; spotting a door, he knew that was his escape route and his freedom to the beautiful mate he had at home. A sharp stabbing brought his attention to his balled fists. The scent of blood shot up his sensitive nose, he slowly uncurled his hands and his eyes darkened in rage as he saw unclipped, sharp and dangerous claws embedded into his flesh; that extended from _his_ fingertips!

"What...?" he questioned stretching the digits that were getting bigger in front of his very eyes. Growling ferociously, he slammed his bloody hands onto the floor, his blood slowly seeping over the metal, staining it a rich ruby. Shadow's spine buckled forwards as his fingers imbedded themselves into the cold, brittle floor. Snarling, he hooked his new claws to use them as leverage to pull and strain against the restraints that attached him to the ground. He felt a liquid running down from the shackle, feeling the fluid drip down his rugged ebony fur and then frustration quickly set in as the bonding held fast.

A completely feral growl came from his painful throat, something was definitely wrong. Setting his clawed fingers into the metal he had been paraded on, he pulled again and with one final tug, the chain-link snapped - whipping backwards from the tension. A smirk of satisfaction came to his lips, as his longer canines glistened in the artificial light - he did truly look like an unstable midnight furred monster. Grunting, he feverishly began tugging at the other; if he could break one, he could break the other!

Panic began to consume the observers of the raging 'beast' they had just created.

"Knock it out!" A grey haired human exclaimed, making a grab for his executive tailored jacket "We didn't invest good money in this project to die from it!"

"You _can't_ do that to him!" a young woman argued, putting her hand to the glass to watch the struggling form in front of her "You don't know what it will do to his mental state. As head of the team responsible for his health, I won't allow it!"

"Nonsense Sarah," one of her superiors answered, looking to the crimson and onyx male behind the glass. "He is not one of the normal ones we've previously tested on. He is the Ultimate Life Form. Sedate him _immediately_!" A uniformed subordinate nodded unsurely, his eyes set on the half restrained Mobian behind the practically unbreakable glass. Turning abruptly, the soldier went to the storage room that held all of the medical, emergency and other supplies and collected the gun he had been ordered to collect; along with three darts full of tranquilizers. Loading one dart into the chamber, he pulled the bolt handle back, enclosing the 'bullet' within the chamber - then offering the firearm to the scientist, in which he received one shake of the man's head "You're paid to keep this facility safe. Do your job!" Gulping, the security officer walked into the room, closing the door securely behind him, not wanting the ruby eyed creature to escape. Taking small steps towards the irate hedgehog, or what _was _a hedgehog, he brought the gun up to take as steady aim as he could. As his finger reached for the trigger, he found two pissed off crimson eyes boring into his brown ones. He must have made a noise somehow!

"I'm going to have to ask you to calm down Project Seventeen," he spoke, the firearm shaking in his hands "Otherwise, I will have to shoot you," A truculent sound came from the ebony males throat as he readied his already aching haunches to pounce at the human. "I'm not going to ask-" he was cut off by the sight of huge fangs from Shadow's open jaws headed in his direction.

Frozen in fear, he barely heard the desperate shouts from the observation room. All he was concerned about were those gaping, fang filled jaws flying in his direction! Closing his eyes, he awaited the snapping teeth he was sure were going to sink into his flesh. When nothing of the sort came, he cautiously cracked open his eyes to find himself just out of the snarling creatures reach. Taking a fearful step backwards, he watched the transformed hedgehog pull at his bindings to get at him. Backing further away, he reached a 'safe' shooting distance and took aim once more. A growl of dissatisfaction came from the struggling body as he flicked off the safety.

"I did warn you," the uniformed employee stated, pulling the trigger. An outraged howl came from the darted onyx male - pulling at his restraints even more, blood began to pool on the surface below the 'beast' that stood unsteadily; the drugs that were pumped into his already ravaged system conflicting with the substance already running through his veins. Furious cerise orbs narrowed at the gunman, as he watched the human officer desperately trying to reload his weapon. Thrusting his body forwards, he found his sight hazing over. _One tranquilizer should not bring down the Ultimate Life Form! _Shaking his head to try and rid himself of his blurry vision, but that only made him stagger on his weeping legs. Growling, he glared in the direction of his captors, fighting against his wobbling and swaying. There was no WAY he was going to give-up, though his body was telling him differently - but he had to prevail, Amy was waiting for him! His eyelids drooped and he slowly fell to his knees, fighting gravity and the sedatives all the way. Then ruby irises were completely hidden as he lost the battle with the oncoming darkness and his consciousness was lost in a wave of impenetrable black.

Worried blue eyes watched the mass of fur crumple to the floor and she traced a manicured finger along the glass, tracing his form along the transparent surface

"Cover his wounds before you do anything else to him..." she murmured sadly "I don't want him getting sick if they get infected"

"Fine," her boss stated giving her a cold glare "You should not have got attached to the project in the first place - it's jeopardising everything!"

"Peh," she huffed, walking away from the window "Who else is going to look after them once you've had your fun - _Especially _with him. I won't be part of this any longer! Find someone else to do your dirty work on this project. I'm going to get a transfer to a less savage experiment!" Grabbing her handbag, she walked to the door of the chamber - not impressed by their way of handling such a unique creature such as Shadow. Stepping into the hallway, she chanced a look back to the unconscious hedge-male. Her eyes then shined with new determination - she was going to help him! Closing the door she jogged towards her office, thoughts and plans swirling in her head.

-x-

Pain.

Excruciating, pure, unbridled pain. Crimson eyes slowly opened and sparks of white crossed his vision. His tortured body began to spasm and his muscles rippled on their own violation, which caused him to regain full consciousness. Every single movement that he tried to make felt like a thousand needles were being shoved into his skin. He could feel the deep prodding of the tranquilizer dart in his skin as he shifted uncomfortably on the cold metal beneath him to try and remove its presence. Growling, he tried to overcome the pain, he couldn't stay here! He needed to get home; he had been gone for too long! Ebony ears pricked up as he heard someone enter the room. Cursing to himself, he stopped his movements and stayed perfectly still; they would pay for messing with Shadow the Hedgehog! His onyx furred ears remained lowered in his 'unconscious' state, but was alert to the sound of footsteps approaching him. They were heeled, so he assumed the human walking to him was female. Fighting to keep his ears from folding back, he kept motionless - awaiting his chance to strike. As he felt the form pause near him, he pounced up and swiped his clawed fingers at her, missing her by mere centimetres. A petrified look passed onto her as she stumbled backwards from his vicious act

"I'm trying to help," she said in a scared tone, holding up the key for the bonds, for him to see.

"I don't need help from the likes of _you_," his deep voice growled out quietly, his vocal chords not used to the strain that had just been placed upon them. A sad look came across the human's face as his red eyes bored into her skull, she was trying to be strong - but she couldn't with those furious and frustrated orbs that were directed at her

"But..."

"No 'buts'!" he croaked out, shakily getting to his feet - hating the feeling of helplessness that ran over him. "I don't know why the _fuck_ you are here and I don't really care, but if you touch or try and do anything to me, I _will_ kill you," he snarled to her, a menacing scowl on his face. His longer crimson streaked fur standing on end, giving him a meaner and more feral appearance. Sarah winced at the hostility towards her - she was only trying to help! A scowl of determination came across her petite features.

"Why won't you let me help? I know why you want to escape; you want to return to your ma..."

"Do. Not. Speak. Of. Her!" Shadow interrupted in a snarl, showing his elongated teeth to the scientist and chaos energy sparking from his form "If you so much as touch a strand of her fur, I will rip your fucking head off!" he stated in a deep and threatening growl. A shiver of fright shot down her spine at hearing that well-meant threat

"You misunderstand," she softly replied, trying to counter his anger with compassion "I'm trying to get you out of here to be with her again, that's all - I promise," she smiled softly, only to earn a look of complete distrust. Slowly reaching into the pockets of her long lab coat, she kept her posture in a relaxed state to keep the temperamental male from attacking her. Pulling the key for the remaining shackle and her swipe card out from the depths, showing the items to the trapped hedgehog - she dropped them on the floor. The onyx males ears twitched at the sudden noise, but he never broke eye-contact. "Take it and go"

"I do not understand you humans. Nor do I trust you. How the hell do I know that there isn't an ambush waiting for me?!" he growled, still retaining eye contact, searching for any signs of treachery.

"Shadow, I know you don't believe me, that's absolutely obvious, but _PLEASE_ take this chance, I don't know what they are planning to do next, but I for one will not allow it!" she said in a strong tone, bending down "If you aren't going to take this opportunity to flee... You may not survive!" Gulping and summoning all of her self-confidence, she picked the key from its fallen place and leant forwards to try and unlock the remaining restraint, ready to pull back if he made any violent movements. One clawed hand grabbed her wrist tightly and she readied herself for her brutal murder - but when it didn't come and no pain either, she gazed up to him.

"If there is someone waiting out there to kill me, I shall return and rip you limb from limb, is that understood?" he stated down to her, malice shining in his blood red orbs. He didn't like the situation presented to him, nor did he admire the stupidity of this humans actions for him. A sheepish nod from a hair hidden face answered his question and he slowly released her wrist from his vice like grip.

"I promise that there is nothing between you and freedom," she responded to him verbally, deifying all the terror and fear she was feeling. Turning the key in the lock, the metal restraint fell from his long furred leg and it clattered on contact with the metal floor. Before she could even offer to remove the other, she was pushed away from him and within a blink of an eye; there was nothing in front of her. Noticing that the cardkey had also disappeared with the ebony male, a smile flashed across her face "Take care..." she whispered to the empty room, releasing all of her fear and anxiety by bursting into tears.

-x-

There was nothing stopping him from returning to kill the human, but his desire to get out of this facility was gnawing at his mind. Once he was out of here and whatever they had done to him had worn off... His thoughts went to his mate and his ears lowered. He couldn't let her see him like this, he wouldn't. The moments that the two of them had shared prior to his entrapment and the passionate nights that they had shared, he was not going to risk all of that by letting her see what those fucking humans had done to him. Gripping the cardkey in his hand, he raced towards the third door. He had met no resistance yet and for that he was thankful, all the extra weight and fur the transformation had given him slowed him down tremendously. Having to navigate around this hellhole was also quite difficult, as was trying to be undetected by passing personnel, but he hadn't set off any alarms or alerted anyone of his escape so far. Opening the door, he looked down the long hallway, his ears pivoting to try and catch any sound of movement.

In hearing nothing, he dashed on all fours towards the other door, his claws 'tapping' on the metal walkway underneath him. He should have asked that woman how many doors there were until he was out... But he had been far too trusting of her by taking the card-key as it was and he was not exactly the kind of person to stick around and '_make-nice_' either. Looking through the window of the door, he looked out over a gravel pathway. Quickly mashing the card against the sensor, his ears twitched as the door clicked and slowly opened automatically.

Feeling the cool, fresh night air bellowing over his thick fur, he smirked and stepped out, the plastic card falling to the floor behind him after fulfilling its purpose. He relished the sound of his shoes crunching on the grey stones under them. Looking around cautiously, he noticed a wire fence was the only thing between him and his mate. Flattening his ears as voices caught his attention; he slowly and stealthily made his way along the path, his ruby eyes making sure he was not going to be caught. Peering around the side of the building, he saw two guards walking together. Taking in their uniforms, he frowned, he didn't recognise the navy blue uniform as GUN's, so who the_ hell _were they?! Holding down a growl, he assessed their weapons. Both had pistols in holsters on their belts and the taller one had a rifle.

Bringing himself back around so he wouldn't be seen, Shadow weighed up his options. He could easily kill them, that was a given, but if Amy ever found out, she would be heartbroken... And that was not something he was willing to chance. Grumbling at finding himself in this situation, he stayed perfectly still, watching as the two guards came into view. Knocking them out was another option... And he was not going to go for the coward's avoidance option; his pride wouldn't allow such a thing! Trying to summon his chaos energy so he could easily beat them unconscious, he found that he couldn't. Cursing with a low, unhappy growl, he stalked after them, his ears flat as he curled his claws into his palm to make a fist. Hitting the first one successfully, he caught the other one off guard by lashing out with his fist again, snorting when they both fell out cold at his feet. Humans were so weak without their guns.

Looking to the next hurdle in his escape, he didn't see any power supply connected to it so he knew it wasn't electrified. Walking over to it and lacing his fingers through the chain-link fence, he pulled it to him slightly to test its strength. It wasn't flimsy, but it still had a bit of give. So climbing was out of the question and he was not _digging_! Looking to his claws that were protruding from his tattered gloves, he lifted his hand and slashed at the metal, smirking when it sliced through the metal like a hot knife through butter. Repeating the action in the opposite direction, he slipped through the gap, snorting when his fur snagged on the sharp protruding bits of the fence, a few more scratches were not going to stop him from his goal! Brushing himself down, he sped into the field and ran as fast as he could away from the facility and towards his home and more importantly: his mate.

-x-

As someone entered the room she had been sealed in, Sarah looked up from her place on the floor, mascara running down her cheeks from the onslaught of emotion that freeing the hedgehog had brought her down too. Seeing the not so happy form of her ex-boss, she smirked

"He's gone," she stated proudly and bravely rose to her feet, not giving a damn about her make-up. "And by now, he's out of this facility all together, so there's nothing you can do about it," The smug air of success surrounded her and her words. Though looking to the head scientist, her level of bravery plummeted and she slipped her glasses from her pocket to keep the professional air about her, and to protect her from the fury that seemed to be radiating off of his form

"Sarah, I knew you were compassionate about our experiments, but you are so _fucking_ stupid for letting this one go," he stated, his voice hard and containing his fury, then throwing her card-key at her "Do you have _ANY_ idea on what you have just unleashed?!" Fiddling in his pocket for a while to find his phone, he dialled his head of security to inform them of the situation. "Miss Tungo has released experiment seventeen and he has escaped the building. _Find him and bring him back here immediately..._" he abruptly hung up and walked over to the female, his hands clenched at his sides and as he was about to speak, she interrupted him

"He has a _name_!" she hissed out between clenched teeth "I know what would have happened before you handed him over to the authorities, explaining some bullshit about how 'evil' he is," she couldn't hold any of this in any longer! "They would have _killed_ him Grant! Even then, that would have had to have been over my dead body!" An eerie smirk fell over Grant's face as he heard those words

"That can easily be arranged _Sarah_," He looked over his shoulder and a single gunman walked into the room "Pity, really..." he chuckled, not even flinching as herd the single gunshot, though the smirk did widen as he saw her body drop to the floor with a thud. "Terry, call upstairs and say there's been an accident. Sarah has fatally injured herself..." Turning from the scene, he brushed some fluff from his lab jacket and walked from the room, the gunman following right behind him. He'd let that hedgehog return to him, like he would to get the revenge he knew that monster always craved...

-x-

Coming through the foliage of the boundaries of his home, his crimson eyes looked over the petite building in which he lived with the pink female. He didn't really have a concept of how long he had been kept in that place... But looking at the roses and flowers that surrounded the home, suggested to him that it had been awhile. Trying to be as quiet as he possibly could with his new bulky body, he edged closer to the kitchen window to try and catch a glimpse of his mate; just one look and he'd be satisfied... Catching her as she moved into the kitchen, his ears lowered slightly as he studied her, she was just the way he remembered her... Sighing, he moved away from the window, his claws catching one of the potted plants sat there. Flattening his ears as it began to fall, he easily caught it and set it back on the window ledge, then quickly retreated - That had been too close.

Pink furred ears perked at hearing the sounds coming from her back yard, what was that? Looking to the window that leaded out into the darkness, she noticed her plant pot moving! Someone or something was out there... Narrowing her eyes as she gazed out into the night, she huffed slightly. Everyone who knew her was aware of the fact that Shadow was missing and if that 'word' had spread... Well, if this intruder thought she was a defenceless female without her mate, then they were sadly mistaken! She knew she had 'back-up' from her friends if she needed it, but right now - she had to defend her home! Grabbing her Piko Piko hammer, she went to the door and pushed it open with some force, lifting her free hand to stop it from bouncing back into her face

"Whoever is out there, show yourself!" she yelled, her hammer in her tight grip and elevated so she could protect her home from any intruders. At hearing nothing in response apart from a few rustling bushes, she huffed "I know you're there! I can hear you!" Giving a quick glance around her garden, she looked to the flower pot for a moment... She swore that it had moved from where she liked it. Looking around once more, she was about to retreat back inside when she saw the bush move again, but it definitely was not the wind. Scowling, she ran at the foliage and let her hammer raise behind her. Closing her eyes and gritting her teeth, she put as much power into the swing as possible. This would teach whoever was cowardly hiding in her shrubbery!

Though when her swing was suddenly halted, it sent a shockwave up the handle of her beloved weapon, causing the pink female to squeak. How could anyone stop that?! Opening her eyes in her shock, she spotted a darker shape retreating back into the darkness. Huffing once more, she tightened the grip on her hammer

"I'll have you know," she growled, rolling her shoulders to try and get rid of the ache from her previous attack attempt "I know how to defend myself!" Taking a step away just in case something else happened that she wasn't expecting; the pink female took a huge swing at the bush again. Though once Amy saw those bright crimson eyes staring at her through the darkness, her grip and strength failed her "Sh-Shadow...?"

The creature could see the recognition in her eyes; he had hoped that she wouldn't have recognised him, but in his haste to see her, he had been ignorant to the often spoken fact that she adored his eyes... But he didn't want her to see him in this grotesque form. Closing his eyes, he went to move away from her, but his actions stopped when she grabbed his arm. As the onyx male turned his head to gaze at her, he could see the emotions on her delicate features as clear as day. She was disgusted - he could tell that with merely a glance at her. The way her hand covered her soft lips and the sparkle in her eyes in the darkness that surrounded them. Shadow didn't want to see it from her; from anyone else on this planet he could handle such hostile thoughts and actions - but definitely not from _her_. He dare not speak to his beautiful mate, since he knew that the change his voice had undertaken would make her backpedal in an instant... Though despite his refusal, she still would not let him go...

"Shadow..." she spoke in the saddest tone he had ever heard her speak and it did not suit his rose's beauty one bit. Turning to face her, he stood tall from his position and looked down at her from his now towering form. Closing his eyes, he was about to explain everything to her when he felt her arms try to go around his waist "Where the _hell_ have you been?! I've been worried sick!" Moving the mess of pink quills from his 'fluffy' form, she looked up at him with tears glistening in her emerald pools. Paying no mind to her mate's changed appearance, Amy reached up with an un-gloved hand to try and cup his muzzle to soothe his insecurities.

Flinching away from her soft fingertips, he shook his head. He didn't want her touching him like that; not when he was in this form that some scientists had forced upon him! Ignoring the way her brow furrowed when he resisted

"Don't hide yourself from me Shadow," her voice now a tender whisper, trying to clear the tears from her eyes so that she could gaze upon him properly and with all the love she felt for him. She didn't care about his sudden, new 'look', as long as he remained here - with her.

"Rose," he started, and as expected, his voice and lowered an octave or two, as well as carrying a small growled undertone that he couldn't control "I can and will not allow you to see me like this... This monster-"

"I don't see any monsters," Amy interrupted "All I see is my mate," she attempted to soothe him, she didn't want him to run away or hide himself away "No matter what you look like, I would still want to be yours," Reaching up again and slipping her hand up into the fur on his muzzle to try and coax him down to her "Because I love you. We'll get whoever did this to you and get you back to normal, I promise," As her beautiful eyes filled with tears again, the ebony hedgehog couldn't help but just stare at her "Just please... Don't leave me again..." As soon as he promised her that single thing, she would be happy - even if he didn't believe it himself. He had always been the pessimist to her optimist... It was just one more thing that meant they were supposed to be together.


End file.
